SAHETIANS MAKING HEADLINES

Katy Katopodis

Class of 1992

The creation of Nala Media

After 21 years at Primedia Broadcasting, Eyewitness News (EWN) Editor-in-chief, Katy Katopodis left the broadcaster at the end of July 2018. Leaving Primedia Broadcasting wasn't an easy decision to make as she has loved every moment of her journey, growth, experience and career at the broadcaster. Katy says, "The time was right for me, and I believe that I need to keep moving forward. It was important for me to take a leap of faith in myself and see what else is out there'./p>

She has started her own media company, Nala Media (the Sesotho word for abundance), with two other women, 702 weekend breakfast host Phemelo Motene and eNCA producer Penny Peppa, who 'share her values and are women of integrity and principle"./p>

Having been friends for a long time, the three have had many conversations over lunches, dinners and coffees. Katy says, "Over these many social occasions, we've obviously spoken about our industry, about stories, about news and about content, and in one of these many discussions we paused and said, hang on, we may be onto something here; there is something to these conversations we are having"./p>

"It was important for us as women specifically to create our own paths and destinies and to shape our company in the exact way we want it shaped. It was important to us to start up something of our own and essentially create our own space in the industry as women" Katy explains.

"I've always embraced being a woman in the media industry. I always had amazing role models in the industry and in Primedia Broadcasting actually. For me, it's embracing that and also ensuring that women in the industry have enough representation" she adds.

She cites the South African National Editors Forum, of which she is the current deputy chairperson, as a great example of an industry body that now has a female strong leadership team, with the chairperson, deputy chairperson, secretary general, and two regional conveners who are all women, and a 50% representation of female editors and journalists in the council.

Katy says, "SAHETI School has always been intrinsically linked to me and who I am today. The school instilled in me values and ideals which I hold dear, and allowed me to build lifelong friendships. SAHETI taught us to be free thinkers who were always searching for answers and who interrogated facts, thereby sowing the first seeds of journalism into my young mind. I will always treasure my years at the school"./p>

Press Release: www.themediaonline.co.za